


Dreams Of Ibuprofen

by Airiamurillo



Category: Atlantis (UK TV)
Genre: Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29635128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airiamurillo/pseuds/Airiamurillo
Summary: Our favourite hero has a migraine and his loving boyfriend has to deal with it.
Relationships: Jason/Pythagoras (Atlantis UK TV)
Kudos: 3





	Dreams Of Ibuprofen

The first thing Jason was aware of when he woke up was the sunlight beaming in through the little window. It was later than he normally would have liked to have slept in, but he had an awful night and did not fancy getting up several hours before dawn only to do nothing. The second thing Jason was aware of was the splitting headache which had been the source of his awful night. It took him another minute to remember that he was suffering from a migraine. The third thing that he was aware of was in was in Atlantis, in Ancient Greece which meant one thing there was no modern medicine that was going to cure this as quickly as he had hoped. It also meant that he had the challenge of hiding the migraine from his boyfriend Pythagoras.

He knew that if the loving mathematician caught even the slightest bit of suspicion that he was feeling under the weather he would never heard the end of it. He loved his boyfriend he really did but he could act more like an overbearing mother when it came to the many injuries or illnesses he had suffered since he had fallen on the mathematician’s balcony a few years back. Then there was the overweight (big boned as he says) father figure in Hercules. He might often say that the boy was trouble since he had arrived, but he would never stop caring for the boy and didn’t mind stepping into the father role when needed. He would also make sure Jason actually took care of himself instead of going off on missions or doing jobs to help them raise funds when needed.

Jason rolled out of bed with a soft thump as he had misjudged himself. He thought it had alerted Pythagoras by now, but the man was busy pouring over parchment with various drawings of triangles. As much as Pythagoras’ theorem bored him it amused him to see the beginnings of which was to become the world famous theorem and to get to know and fall in love with the man who he had once considering boring in secondary school maths. Jason puts on the bravest face he could muster as his bed was in the main communal area and any noise would be noticed immediately. The thought of food was too nauseating for the moment, so he just sat down as far away from the parchment as possible and nursed his drink.

He knew all too well it was better if he did not disturb his boyfriend as he worked. In a way it worked in his favour and he had more time to put on a poker face to hide his pain. He knew he could ask for one of the pain killing tonics, but at times he often felt as if it was a lot weaker than the drugs back in modern day England. Oh how he wished he could take a couple of ibuprofen right now and lay in his dark bedroom with the blackout blinds drawn closed. However as has been stated to him many times over the years that he must accept his fate and today was going to be another one of those days. Pythagoras looked up from his papers in surprise to see Jason awake and at the table. Last he saw, his boyfriend was fast asleep in bed.

“Morning Jason, how long have you been awake?” Pythagoras asks, stopping in his work to engage in a conversation. Jason smiled, hoping it be the start of his façade against the amount of pain he was currently going through. “A few hours now, I just didn’t fancy getting out of bed since there was no work to be done today for once,” Jason replies, it was mostly the truth as well, so Pythagoras didn’t have to immediately start reading in between the lines. Hercules had gone to work but there was no work for Jason today, so he could have the rest that he so desperately craved. Not that he had gotten as much as he had hoped, however he had not counted on his migraine making things difficult for him.

“I suppose that is fair after all I think I can count on one hand how many days you have had off since you arrived here,” Pythagoras replies. Even as they talked Jason realized that he has no chance of having of having a day off as they needed bread and milk and possibly a few other things from the market with what little change they had. Hercules never cared much for personal piggy banks as he frequently stole from both the boys in order to pay off several various debts he had accumulated over the years. He called it borrowing however he has yet to pay them back for any of it. “I’m not about to either, I need to go to the market,” Jason says. He knew Pythagoras wanted to get back to his work before their next adventure happens and Hercules was not going to be in the mood to go once he got back from his work.

The only place Hercules would be willing to go after his day was done would be the tavern and that is not where the boys would be able to get dinner from or breakfast the next morning. “You don’t have to,” Pythagoras starts, then trails off as he knew that Jason was right. Pythagoras was also starting to have doubts on whether or not Jason was actually feeling as well as he would have the blond man believe. “It will be fine, it will not take very long and then I promise you will do nothing else when I get home,” Jason replies. He knows that once he returned home Pythagoras would be making sure that he stayed put and did only the minimum required of him for the rest of that day. “You know I will hold you to that,” Pythagoras replies.

Jason puts his cup down and carefully moves around the house to gather everything necessary for his short trip. He will need a jug for the sheep milk and possibly one for the wine, but he knows if Hercules were truly desperate for it he could get it himself. He decides to leave it behind this time as he knew that himself and Pythagoras were not likely to drink wine tonight, especially not if he counted on his migraine becoming worse and then Pythagoras finding out. “I am counting on it,” Jason replies as he leaves the house on his mini mission. It would be simple enough to achieve by himself with no slip ups he was sure. He winced as he left the house and was greeted by the harsh summer sunlight waiting for him.

Oh how he had wished for the British weather system right now. The typical rainy days of England would be perfect on a day like today and it would certainly give him an excuse to stay inside in the dry warmth of his house. Even the comfort of being in bed with Pythagoras would be better than this however Jason had brought this upon himself again and he was going to have to deal with the consequences of it. He got the bread, the cheese and the olives as well as some meat and a couple of pies relatively quickly and without too much discomfort. It was when he got to the milk merchant when the light really began to bother him. He did his best to hide a wince from her as he handed the jug over and she knew what he wanted.

“You should have sent one of the others out instead anyone can see you are not feeling the best,” she says, in that tone that she has used on the trio all too many times before when they have been out when they have been ill or injured instead of at home resting. “I know and as soon as I am done here I am going to go straight back home and to rest,” he replies, knowing that it will be enough to keep her happy for the meantime. He knows that if he makes another appearance in the market today and she spots him then he will be in a lot of trouble. She treats her favourite customers with great kindness, even taking a little off the bill if she knows Hercules has left them a couple of pennies too short to buy food and drink to survive.

“You make sure of it, I don’t want to see your face here again today and I mean it in the kindest way possible,” she says, and he nods before turning around and lightly jogging back towards the house. He knew it was not the best idea for his worsening condition, but he knew the wrath of the milk merchant would be ten times worse if he did not do as he was told. Migraine was definitely ten times worse by the time he had made it back to the house. He was sure the journey didn’t usually take as long as he had just taken but then again he knew he was a little on the confused side as the hot midday sun approached. He took a minute in the shade by the door to compose himself before going in he knew Pythagoras would be worried. It never took much to worry him even before they admitted their feelings.

“Talking with the milk merchant again? She can be worse than me sometimes,” Pythagoras says when Jason walks in through the door. He placed the jug on the table as he was not sure if he was confident in himself not to drop it and for it to break wasting the milk he had just bought. “You know what she is like when she gets talking,” Jason replies, wincing at the loudness of his own voice, though he was in the new store area, so Pythagoras never saw it. He had been trying his best not to wince every time he or Pythagoras spoke, however the pain was becoming too much to bear at that moment, so he felt as if he had no other choice. He just had to hide it well enough until they went to bed later that evening.

Surely it would not be that difficult, he just had to eat a little bit of lunch with Pythagoras and then go about the rest of his day. He had never had nothing to do since the day he had arrived in Atlantis, so he wasn’t exactly sure of what he should do in order to keep himself from under the suspicions of his boyfriend. “Jason, come and eat something,” Pythagoras says, walking up behind the slightly taller more muscular man and placing a gentle hand on his arm. Jason regained his composure and blocked out the pain long enough to smile at his boyfriend. “Of course, so long as you eat too,” Jason says, he knows full well that mealtimes are often forgotten by his boyfriend when he is busy working on triangles and his theory.

“Of course I will eat,” Pythagoras replies. Jason walks behind Pythagoras who has grabbed some bread and cheese for their lunch. He had to hide the moan as the hammer swinging feeling in his head became worse once more. He hated the fact that these migraine like headaches last so long and come in waves of worse and then lesser pain. It was more on the right side of his head than anything and he was feeling quite nauseated and the thought of food make his stomach do flips but he had to keep up the pretence that everything was fine. Jason thanks his boyfriend for the food and then carefully starts picking his way through it as if everything were fine. Pythagoras had finally caught on to the fact that something was not quite right with his love.

“Everything alright?” he asks, as Jason had finished his water. Even Jason knew deep down he would not normally pick at his food like this. “Everything is fine, why would it be anything other than that?” Jason asks as Pythagoras sits down next to him. He puts his hand on Jason’s cheek and Jason smiles, though he hid the fact that the cooler skin of his boyfriend was comforting. “Well, you’re not very good at hiding things. You’re sweating for one and you’ve barely touched your lunch,” Pythagoras says. Jason sighs and accepts the fate he has just walked into. There was there nothing that Jason could do or say now that would make Pythagoras change his mind on taking care of him now that he knew something was wrong.

“Just got a bit of a migraine that’s all,” Jason replies, finally letting the extent of it show. He rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to make it feel better. Now that the secret was out in the open Pythagoras went about finding various pain soothing tonics which could at least either reduce the amount of pain that his boyfriend was in or remove it completely. He was hoping for the latter, but he was not sure if he could make a tonic strong enough, so the former had to be the best for now. “I know this doesn’t always taste the best, but please drink it all,” Pythagoras says when he returns to his boyfriends side. Jason takes a deep breath before downing the tonic as quickly as he possibly could. It never tasted good, but it reminded him of when he was a child and his father then Mac telling him that medicine would not work if it tasted good.

They make it taste good when you are a young child because you would be less willing to take it if it tasted disgusting. Jason supposed that it would be something that people who grew up in Atlantis and Samos and other cities or towns in Greece are already accustomed to. This was one thing he wish he were able to explain to Pythagoras, however the oracle said very clearly that he was not to tell anyone where he came from. That is why he could never fully explain why he called Pythagoras the triangle guy when they had first met. One day though he hoped he would be able to fully explain why he has said that his triangles were destined to bore millions of children across the world throughout the rest of history. “I love your cooking Pythagoras I really do but your tonics need some work,” Jason says and Pythagoras smiles.

At least Jason knew the taste would not last for long and the pain had eased slightly. “Now I think you should finish your food and then go and lay down in my room for a bit it would be darker than you lying in here,” Pythagoras replies. He really wished that they were comfortable enough around Hercules that sharing the same bed would not cause problems. By problems he meant the endless teasing and slight jealousy of them being together and that he and Medusa could no longer be together because of everything that had happened. Jason could not argue with his boyfriend and he forced himself to finish the bread and cheese on his plate. The pain was easing but the migraine was still there and both men knew it.

“Come on off to bed with you,” Pythagoras says and suddenly Jason feels no energy to argue with him. The thought of laying on comfortable bed in a darker room was all that powered Jason as he walked on slightly unsteady feet towards his boyfriends room. Pythagoras walked behind him to make sure that he was not about to fall over causing embarrassment for them both. Pythagoras made him sit on the bed and with nimble careful fingers undid the ties on Jason’s breastplate and carefully lifted it over his head. He did the same for his sandals while Jason flopped back onto the mattress and closed his eyes. “Thank you Pythagoras,” Jason mumbles and Pythagoras smiles. He helps his boyfriend under the covers and leaves him to sleep.

Pythagoras smiles as he walks out of the room quietly and closes the door. His boyfriend was certainly the most stubborn man he has ever met in his life, but he always comes round to the ideas of his loving and loyal friends eventually. Knowing that Hercules was not due back for at least another few hours, yet which guaranteed Jason some peace and quite to rest. Pythagoras could work on his triangles while his boyfriend got the rest he needed. Tomorrow Pythagoras was sure Jason would be back to his normal healthy self and able to do his work as required. If not then he was going to have to keep resting until he was back to normal. No man would be expected to work with a headache as severe as the one Jason has.

Pythagoras checked in on Jason after a while had passed and saw him perfectly still and fast asleep under the covers. He wishes that it could stay that way for as long as possible, but it was only a matter of time before Hercules returned. He also wished they could have had the day off to spend as a couple in the privacy of their own home, but it seems like the gods had other plans for today. At least he could tend to his boyfriends needs while he was feeling under the weather and he could sleep or lay with him for a little while. Between all of their adventures they have barely had much time to spend as an official romantic couple and it seems like they are not about to get some for a while to come. Maybe that was the way it was meant to be.

Maybe the gods wanted the relationship to be as unconventional as possible. Maybe they do have romantic dates with each other and instead of a nice picnic in the woods it is out in the desert on the way to Helios with Hercules as the often drunk third wheel without really being aware of it. Pythagoras always had that time with Jason, but he had spent it tending to his various injuries as and when they occurred. He was often told that there were many forms of love and maybe this was a new one that was in development. Pythagoras was a very intelligent man and things were being invented all the time. Maybe alongside triangles Pythagoras could invent a new form of love, a new form where man could love man freely.

Jason slept all the way until Hercules arrived home. Even then he was still in his slumber until Hercules shouted for him. It was not what Pythagoras or Jason wanted but there would be no amount of talking that would get Hercules to quiet down in his voice. Jason winced as he woke up to Pythagoras telling Hercules to keep quiet as Jason had developed a migraine over the course of the night and he had been suffering greatly as a result. Jason had wished that he could go back to sleep, but he was also thirsty, and it would not do him any harm to have a drink and another pain relieving tonic before going about the rest of the afternoon.

All it took was Hercules to look at Jason for the protective instinct on him to take over and for him to gently guide Jason over to the bench in order for him to receive the proper care he needs. “I’m sorry, here let me get you some water,” Hercules says, and Jason notes that even though the pain had subsided a little everyone was talking quieter and it didn’t cause his pain to become any worse which was what he was hoping for. He loved the men with all his heart but sometimes the volume levels could be a bit much to what he was used to. It took a lot for him to become used to the thinner walls in Atlantis. In a way life in Atlantis with them reminds Jason a lot of his time in university back in England.

There was always the one roommate who would walk in who had clearly drunk more than he was capable of handling and stole all of the food even if it were not him who had bought it into the house. Then there was the nerdy shy one who was always quiet and focused on their work yet when the time came to it they would show how loyal there were and defend those that needed it. In his pained state he felt like no other way which was able to explain how he felt about the two men and how it brought him some comfort to be in a home away from home of sorts. Except Jason knew deep down he could never go back to where he had come from and he didn’t really feel the need to either as he never felt he belonged.

“Drink these and then I promise you that you can go back to sleep until dinner time,” Hercules says. Jason had made his arms into a makeshift pillow to hide his eyes from the light that was once more bothering him. Hercules gently nudged his friend on the arm until he raised his head where he was given the pain relieving tonic first and then every now and again he would lift his head to take a sip of water. Pythagoras had found some honey cakes and had given him one to pick and eat. “I know eating doesn’t sound the best idea right now, but it will make the tonic work faster,” Pythagoras gently encourages. He knew Jason would not take his advice seriously if he went full mother hen mode now, but it was enough.

He knew he would be having a more serious conversation with Jason if he had let the other man carry on about his day as if nothing was wrong. He knew that if he had let Jason get on then they would be in a worse position than they were currently in. They knew that there was a problem, and it was on its way to being resolved it would just take a little bit of time and patience and a lot of resting on Jason’s part. None of that was easy when you knew that Jason was undoubtedly the most stubborn man who they had ever met in their entire lives. If Jason had his mind set on something there would be nothing that would get you to change his mind even when it came to something so trivial as resting.

“Right back off to Pythagoras’ room with you,” Hercules says, pointing and him and then towards the doorway which led to the room mentioned. Pythagoras walked behind Jason once more should he feel inclined to fall he would be safe. Jason flopped down on the bed and curled into a ball where he could shield his eyes as much as possible from the sunlight that was trying to breakthrough the thin curtains. Pythagoras sits down and rubs his boyfriends back. “I’m sorry I didn’t know that Hercules would be that loud,” Pythagoras says, as quietly as possible to not make the headache worse. Jason turns to him with a smile.

“I think in a way I already knew, but at the same time Hercules is happy and he was not to know that I have this god awful headache,” Jason replies. It was true, they had not spoken to Hercules since he had left the house that morning so there was no possible way for him to have known anything was up with his younger friend. “I suppose your right, but I should have met him outside of the door and informed him then,” Pythagoras replies and Jason just sakes his head and smiles. It makes him wonder what had possessed Pythagoras’ father to act in the way that he had done what he had when he was but a child. To think about that man made Jason angry which made his head hurt, so he stopped thinking about it.

“That’s not necessary Pythagoras, how would you have known that his voice would have woken me up?” Jason replies and they sat in a moment of silence as they learned that the pain soothing tonic was once again doing its magic to help make him comfortable. He was right again, and Pythagoras knew it even though he would not have wanted to admit it right there and then. For all the mathematician knew his lover was in a deep sleep and nothing was going to wake him, well nothing that was until Hercules walked in through the door. “I had no idea. Speaking of sleep wasn’t it time you got some more?” Pythagoras says. He had moved so his hands where now entangled in the curls and started rubbing his scalp in hopes it would both relax and further ease the pain.

“I could get used to this you know,” Jason says, clearly sounding more relaxed than he had been before. The effect was even going so far as to start putting him to sleep as he closed his eyes. Pythagoras chuckled as he saw what he considered to be a great warrior reduced to no more than a putty in his hands. He had power over Jason he had not realised he had before. “So could I Jason, we could make this a regular thing,” Pythagoras replies. That was something that Jason could not argue with and he was more than willing to do this frequently and think of something to repay him with. Something that he could do in the same way which would relax him after long hard days spent trying to work on the world famous theorem.

The thing was due to Jason’s upbringing he was struggling to know which levels of affection where appropriate and when which meant he was not much of a hugger and that was made know to the boys when they first met. Over the years he had grown used to it and had even started giving out hugs on his own terms when he really wanted those he cared about to know how he felt. Maybe he could offer a good back massage in the rough days or take the burden of some of the chores away. It was a matter for another time as Jason had succumbed to the calls of slumber and was on his way back into a deep slumber. Pythagoras smiled and covered his boyfriend with the blanket before deciding he was better off joining him for some much needed couple time.

“I hope the gods know how much I love you,” Pythagoras whispers. Unbeknownst to him Hercules was watching his younger friends through the doorway. He cares a lot for his younger charges and would do anything to see them happy. He knew of their relationship long before this day in fact he knew about how they felt about each other before they really knew about it themselves. It was all about the looks they gave each other. Hercules smiles to himself as he quietly walks away to get a pie. He was going to do the right thing for once and let them enjoy some time alone. He was not going to the tavern tonight either he was just going to enjoy a quiet evening and be on standby for the boys should they need it.

He wanted to make sure that Pythagoras stayed put and if they needed things like pain tonics and water that he would fetch it for them. He thought back to the adventures they had been on and how they had been working in between then and how long he had with Medusa. The boys have barely had chance to breathe let alone let each other know how much they loved one another. He decided that he needed to give them more time with each other and he would work more and finally start paying back some of the money he had stolen from them over the years. He knew they understood why he had done it, but it didn’t make him feel as if it was the right thing. It will take a while as he had lost count on how much he had taken.

A little while later Hercules walked back over towards their room. He thinks it is past time Jason had his own room or to share a room with Pythagoras so they could also spend some more time with each other. He smiles as he sees that Pythagoras had fallen asleep with Jason in his arms. Jason was still as peacefully asleep as he was when Hercules checked on them a few hours ago though he knew that the pain medication was going to wear off soon and he would need another tonic if it was still bad. Hercules knew all too well about having severe headaches lasting the whole day and possibly into the next. He would just have to wait and see how the rest of the night is going to go. He also wanted to be careful with how things went.

He knows that Jason didn’t really have a good relationship with his father until the end, but no matter how much he loved the boys he did not want to tread on the toes of their previous relationships with their fathers. He didn’t want to take over that role, but he could not help how much love he had in his heart for them. Sure they didn’t get along all the time, but Hercules liked to think that normal families were like this. He knew that when Jason first fell onto their balcony that he was not fond of him but it all changed once he got to know him better. Sure his ignorance to some of the rules and customs was strange and annoying at first but having learned that he didn’t grow up in Atlantis went a long way in explaining that.

At some point Hercules fell asleep and by the time he woke up again it was morning and both boys were up making breakfast. “Morning boys,” Hercules says, after doing a big stretch and yawn in his doorway. Jason looked like he was feeling a little better than he had been previously. He didn’t want to say it, but Hercules noticed how pale Jason looked during yesterday’s migraine episode. “Morning Hercules,” the boys replied, and Hercules swore to whichever god was listening that he did not have to hear them say anything at the same time ever again. “Glad to see you are feeling better Jason,” Hercules replies as he goes to sit down and get a drink. Jason smiles as Pythagoras starts plating up their breakfast.

“Thanks, I am feeling a lot better today. I hadn’t had a migraine in so long that I had forgotten how awful it felt,” Jason replies. At least this day was sure to go better than the previous. Pythagoras would have a day of peace and quiet while Hercules and Jason go out to work and to make some money so that when they inevitably need more food and milk or wine that they have enough funds for it. Jason could have been on the throne by now with all the money in the world, but he turned it down and Queen Ariadne has been ruling ever since. He did it for Pythagoras as they all knew the people and the court would not be happy in the slightest for their king to be in a relationship with another man. They would want him to marry Ariadne, but they knew he was not happy, and neither was she.

If everything they had been through had proved anything was that Hercules and Pythagoras was Jason’s happiness to come before anything else. “That’s good, I don’t think that they would cope without you in work today. They almost had a melt down yesterday,” Hercules says, and Jason shakes his head. This was not the life he had expected to lead but he was happy that he finally had somewhere where he finally felt as if he had belonged. Hercules was the first to leave for work which left Jason and Pythagoras to have one more intimate moment before they go on with their days. “Did you know you talked in your sleep last night?” Pythagoras asked which made Jason tilt his head to the side in confusion. He wasn’t aware that was a thing that he did.

“No, what did I say?” Jason replies, trying to hide the slight panic in his voice that he might have said something he should not have done. He was worried that he had revealed something about where he came from that he was not able to explain because of the oracle. “You mentioned something about Ibuprofen? I just assumed it was what you named something where you came from which is still a mystery to me,” Pythagoras explains. It made Jason quietly sigh in relief as they had come to accept that there were just going to be some weird Jasonisms which were going to be a big feature of their lives but nothing dangerous. “Yes, I guess in my sleep I was remembering how we deal with migraines where I was raised,” Jason replies, he tries to use where he was raised instead of where he comes from now he knows he is a true Atlantean.

Pythagoras walks over to Jason and grabs his wrist. “One thing before you leave,” He says, and Jason looks him in the eyes. He was a little nervous, but everything was all new to him and he was not sure how he was supposed to react, and it seems like Pythagoras was in the same boat as him. Romance was definitely confusing at the best of times. Pythagoras kisses Jason on the lips and Jason doesn’t hesitate in kissing back and cupping Pythagoras’ face with his hands. There was no doubting their love now. “Have a good day with your triangles,” Jason says, smiling as Pythagoras playfully slapped him on the arm. “Have a good day in work,” Pythagoras replies, and before he gets the chance to think of something funny Jason leaves.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ **

**_And that is the end of my first ever Atlantis one shot. Hope you enjoyed, I’ve been a writer for over 10 years now and I am so happy to be branching out a little._ **


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